I'm glad you said that this is the lowest point, because if you went any lower I think all my feels would melt me. Every time I read a chapter of this I get fresh waves of hatred for the Death Eaters, especially Bellatrix. They're torturing children. And what makes it even worse for Hermione is that her parents don't know to look for her because they still don't know she exists. I can't even imagine how small and alone she must feel.

But there's something Bellatrix said that oddly gave me hope, and that's this: And your blood traitor boyfriend can do nothing to save you from it." It's always the overconfidence of villains that is their undoing. Maybe Hermione had agreed until that point that Ron wouldn't be able to save her, but when Bellatrix voiced that out loud, she definitely knocked on wood. If these people knew the first thing about Ron Weasley, they would know exactly what Dumbledore knew when he left him the Deluminator: He always comes back. I see this as a bright light at the end of a long and painful tunnel. I feel horribly for all of them, even Trelawney, and especially for Dean. D: Oh my goodness, I hope you haven't killed him. I JUST CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE DEATHS (EXCEPT VOLDEMORT AND ALL THE DEATH EATERS').

I loved Charlie's insight, and what you said about him not really regarding Hogwarts as a home until it was only a skeleton. His perception of it would of course be different from Harry's, since Charlie had a wonderful home life at the Burrow. Going home was a reprieve from homework. It meant more Quidditch, more relaxation. It wasn't a punishment. I like seeing through other people's eyes when it comes to Hogwarts. Now that it's gone, of course, he realizes all the ways he had depended on it to be forever strong and viable. You did an excellent job matching the current state of Hogwarts to the people inside it. Everything's so broken and lost. Everything's falling apart. It packs such power to see Hogwarts overrun by these horrible people.

:(

Fantastic chapter. As usual, you found all my emotions and punched them right in the face. And then you kicked them while they were down. ♥

Author's Response: I have to agree with you -- if I was forced to write more of this sort of depressing stuff, and make the ending suitably unhappy... Well, we know I'm kind of a masochist, so I can kind of see myself doing that. But surely there are limits. And in any case, I will stick to my promise and see that that doesn't happen this time around. :)

YES. ♥ The Death Eaters, at this point in the story, feel they've won, they can't be beat. Who's going to stop them? And that's precisely the thing that /does/ stop them, and I love, love, love that you picked up on that. Totally got chills when I read 'He always comes back' too because you just get Ron. You get all my characters ever. This is why you're the best reader and reviewer and support system I have: You /get things/. You are the best.

I always find it a little interesting that so many people write their characters to see Hogwarts as a home. It really was for Harry, of course, but look at the background he came from, you know? For normal witches and wizards, and even probably for people like Hermione (though maybe less so), Hogwarts was just school. A magic school, but still, a place for lessons and exams and studying and lacking in the freedom of summer, etc. And we see that in canon, with Ron, but people still often go the Hogwarts-is-home route. I think it would have taken something drastic, like Charlie's experiences, to make him realize just what the castle meant to him.

Bah, such rambles. Forgive them. I will give healthy doses of bandages and hot chocolate to your emotions to make them feel better. Thank you so, so much for this review, and all of them. SO MUCH LOVE ~